


The Life They Chose

by jessicasse



Category: Naruto
Genre: Affection, Babies, Babysitting, Cute Ending, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Happy Ending, Healthy Relationships, Hokage Hatake Kakashi, Intimacy, Kissing, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Rokudaime Hatake Kakashi, Romantic Fluff, Sexual Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:27:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24019744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessicasse/pseuds/jessicasse
Summary: "Hey, do you remember when we watched Boruto and Himawari for an entire day that one time? When Hima wasn't even a year old yet?" Iruka asked.Kakashi's roaming hands stilled on Iruka's waist.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Umino Iruka, Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Comments: 1
Kudos: 86





	The Life They Chose

Iruka smiled blissfully as he walked up the steps to his home. 

He just finished the morning trial session for young, curious participants to get a taste of shinobi training. It's their chance to see what enrolling in his school would be like and learn about what they'd do in the Academy. Iruka hosted many of these trial sessions over the years, but this one was extra special.

Uzumaki Himawari was one of today's attendees, and as she's Naruto's second and youngest child, Iruka was feeling a bittersweet ache in his swollen heart.

Time was going by so fast.

He opened the front door and was immediately greeted with a pack of ninken excitedly jumping at his feet. 

"Hey, you guys are home!" He laughed, his smile widening even further. "I didn't know you were done with your mission!" 

He squatted down and was so preoccupied with giving scratches under chins and pets on top of heads that he didn't hear their summoner come out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, we just came back twenty minutes ago." 

Kakashi casually leaned on the doorway and smiled fondly as he watched his partner be overrun with love and affection from his eight ninken.

Iruka looked up at him, elated. It couldn't have been a more perfect surprise.

He gave one more scratch to Bull as he stood back up. "I thought you were going to be gone for another week!" 

"I was, but then I got word from Naruto that Himawari was participating in the Academy trial run today, and there was no way I was going to miss your reaction in real-time." 

Kakashi's grey eyes twinkled. Iruka's smile was like a sparkling ray of sunlight, and it warmed him everywhere seeing it.

Iruka haphazardly kicked off his shoes and ran toward Kakashi's open arms. 

Their bodies molded perfectly in their embrace, every curve and plane fitting together like pieces in a puzzle. It was wonderfully familiar and comforting. They've had years of practice, after all.

Without breaking the hug, Iruka began patting his hands all over Kakashi's hair and down the back of his neck, his shoulders, and his arms, before gently resting them on his back. He did that every time Kakashi came back from a mission; it was his way of checking for injuries. More often than not, it just led to different variations of sex rather than Iruka finding actual injuries, but it was a force of habit at this point. 

Kakashi burrowed his face into Iruka's hair and inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of his favorite person in the world. Iruka smelled how he always does, a combination of his natural musk, mint shampoo, and lead pencils. To him, there wasn't a single thing on Earth that smelled better than Iruka. Kakashi relaxed, feeling at home again now that Iruka was back in his arms. 

He hummed contentedly, patiently waiting for Iruka to finish his ritual. His own fingers were trailing down Iruka's waist and his lower back, before lightly resting on his hips. Kakashi much preferred the times when Iruka's pat-downs would turn into some hot sex more than when he would fret over whatever new injury he had that day. They usually still had sex on those days too, but it just took a little while longer to get there since he had to spend a few hours reassuring Iruka that he was fine. 

Iruka pulled his head back and analyzed Kakashi, holding the sides of his head with both hands. He carefully ran his eyes all over his face, checking for even the tiniest of scratches or bumps. 

Satisfied with what he saw, Iruka smiled and pulled Kakashi's mask down to his chin and gave him a little peck, his reward for coming home safe. 

He softly traced Kakashi's silken lips. "Welcome home, Kakashi."

Kakashi tightened his arms around Iruka making him gasp, which he used to his full advantage. He nudged Iruka's mouth open to accept his, and their tongues lightly brushed together. Iruka lifted up on his toes and wrapped his arms around the nape of Kakashi's neck for balance, deepening their kiss. 

They spent the next minute or so just like that, reveling in the feel of each other's lips.

Then Kakashi slowly inched Iruka toward the couch behind him, maneuvering them so he fell on his back first, pulling Iruka down on top of him. The seat cushions puffed under the weight of them both. 

"Oof!" Iruka's eyes opened in surprise. 

Kakashi gave a low, breathy chuckle in Iruka's mouth. He peppered Iruka's entire face with kisses, making sure to get both eyelids, his eyebrows, and every inch of the scar across his nose. He finished with a final kiss to the center of his forehead.

"I'm home, Iruka." 

Iruka had a rosy glow to his cheeks, and he couldn't stop smiling at his handsome, silver-haired boyfriend. His happiness was filled to the brim, overflowing to the corners of his mouth. 

Kakashi wiggled to his side to make room for Iruka. He guided them so they both faced each other. The couch was small so they were pressed together, leaving no room in between. 

They stayed quiet for a minute and simply enjoyed the moment, relishing in their lover's embrace. Time became irrelevant as they relaxed into each other's arms, listening to the other's sturdy heartbeat, their breath synching together as one. 

Kakashi moved his bottom arm up from Iruka's back so that Iruka could rest his head on it. He used his other hand to gently unfurl Iruka's ponytail from his hair tie, nimbly running his hands through his hair to get rid of the crease. 

Iruka sighed happily. It felt so good to have Kakashi's sure hand brush out his hair, knowing exactly where it would loosen the tension caused by his tight ponytail. 

He snuggled into Kakashi, rubbing his face on the base of his neck. 

Kakashi's neck was one of Iruka's favorite body parts of his. It was pale from being covered up all the time, the skin there so delicate and smooth. He loved how he could smell Kakashi on the area right where his collarbone ends and his neck begins.

And he loved most of all how he would sometimes leave kiss marks underneath Kakashi's sharp jawline, and no one would know except the two of them. It was like their own little secret. 

Kakashi started idly playing with a strand of Iruka's chocolate-brown hair.

"So, were you able to see Himawari at the trial session?"

He felt Iruka's mouth turn up on the curve of his neck. 

"Yes, once she got to the mission portion of the trial. I might have not so subtly expressed to Shino how much I missed working with the students directly, so he invited me to observe."

Kakashi let out a proper chuckle that rumbled through his chest, amused as he could totally see Iruka in his principal's office moaning and griping about how he wants to go and be with the kids. 

"How did she do?" 

Iruka tilted his head up to meet Kakashi's warm stare. His words began tumbling out, and suddenly Iruka wasn't talking as the Academy principal anymore but as proud Uncle Iruka, the Iruka that nurtured Naruto since he was Himawari's age. 

"She's amazing, Kakashi. Naruto doesn't do her justice when he talks about her. She's just...the perfect embodiment of everything good in her mother and father. She has his determination and gutsiness and her kindness and selflessness. It's like talking to a well-mannered Naruto, which is insane. And it's already obvious that she's going to grow up to be a shinobi stronger than all of us. She may even become stronger than Boruto." 

Kakashi scoffed. "Of course Hima is going to be stronger than that snotty little brat. She singlehandedly knocked Naruto out with one finger! The Ōtsutsuki weren't even able to do that, and they were gods."

Iruka giggled, too happy to lecture Kakashi about calling Boruto a snotty brat. Besides, he knew he was only teasing. Kakashi practically loves Boruto and Himawari as if they were his own. He would hunt down anyone who would ever foolishly threaten the children of the Seventh Hokage, his successor as well as his precious student. He's "Old-Man Kakashi," their second favorite uncle. Iruka is first, obviously. 

Iruka moved so that he was lying right on top of Kakashi, his chin resting on his arms that were crossed on top of Kakashi's chest. Kakashi settled them into their new position, moving under Iruka a little so that they were exactly centered, every inch of them touching. 

Kakashi hummed in pleasure. Iruka resting on top of him felt like a warm, weighted blanket, made just for him. 

He started playing footsie with Iruka, making him squirm in delight as Kakashi tickled his feet with his toes and pressed their soles together, warming them.

It was just like that time they babysat for Naruto. 

"Hey, do you remember when we watched Boruto and Himawari for an entire day that one time? When Hima wasn't even a year old yet?" Iruka asked.

Kakashi's roaming hands stilled on Iruka's waist. 

"Uh, excuse me, sensei, but we did more than just _watch_ Boruto and Himawari. I genuinely thought you were going to die that day. It was more stressful than the time the moon was falling down on us. It was the entire moon, Iruka. The moon. But no, babysitting Boruto for 24 hours along with a tiny infant was what almost got me. Not two wars. Not when the village was destroyed. Not even when I literally died. It was that little yellow hellion."

Iruka snorted. Kakashi had the same expression that older shinobi war veterans tend to make every time they talk about their experiences in battle.

Although, he couldn't blame him. 

The events of that day were etched into his memory for life. 

\--  
It started off like any other day.

They had just finished breakfast, and Kakashi was sitting at the dining table in his sweats and a dark tank, a cup of coffee in one hand and a scroll that was sprawled across his leg in the other. Iruka was at the sink washing the dishes with his favorite apron on, the sky blue one that had, in a big font, "WORLD'S BEST UNCLE" written across the front. Naruto and Hinata gifted it to him a few years back when they revealed to the speechless pair that Hinata was pregnant. They were sitting right here, on this very couch, when a nervous but excited Naruto told them they were going to be uncles to a baby boy.

The energy in the house was calm, and they were quietly enjoying the slow pace of the morning.

It was the first Saturday that both Kakashi and Iruka had off in six months. Konoha's rapid expansion was at its peak and they were both ridiculously busy, with Kakashi overseeing the growth of the entire village as Hokage and Iruka tripling the Academy's capacity as vice-principal. But with Shikamaru's help, they finally managed to align their schedules so they could both have the same day off. 

Iruka had it all planned out. They were going to take a hike up to the sakura trees and enjoy a picnic before heading back home where they were going to stay in bed for the rest of the day. They were going to order in Ichiraku for dinner, open a bottle of wine, and read their favorite comfort books. And if it so happened that there was some playful — or not so playful — touching throughout the day, well — he wouldn't mind that in the least. 

He had just placed the last dish on the dishrack and shut off the water when the front door burst open.

They both whipped their heads around, Kakashi already on his feet with a kunai in hand that he pulled from underneath the table.

But when they ran towards the entrance they were met with a disheveled Naruto and Hinata, their kids, and what looked like enough baby supplies to last for a month. Hinata was holding Himawari in her baby carrier while Naruto was grappling with a squirmy Boruto who escaped from his hands and started monkey-climbing up his head. 

Hinata, who was always perfectly prim and well-groomed, had food stains on her dress and her long hair was up in a messy, halfway finished bun. Naruto's jacket was unzipped, and his white shirt had a giant singed hole in the center, his entire stomach visible. They had huge dark circles under their eyes, and they both looked extremely sleep-deprived and a little crazed. 

Iruka stopped in his tracks, stunned. 

"Naruto! Hinata! What —"

"We can't do it anymore, Iruka-sensei. We can't," Naruto interrupted, any semblance of politeness gone. His voice shook, and his bottom lip started trembling. "You guys, I don't know if I can be Hokage anymore."

Naruto, the one who lived his entire life with the promise to never give up on becoming Hokage, the one imbued with chakra directly from the God of Shinobi himself, had tears pooling in his eyes as he stood desperately in front of their doorway telling them that he wanted to give up.

He wasn't even trying to stop his doppelganger son who was tugging at his hair and screaming, "Dad! Dad!! Look!!! You're my horsie!!! Giddyap horsie!!!" 

Kakashi, upon seeing the lack of threat, put the kunai away and walked towards them, taking the hefty baby bag from Hinata's shoulder.

"Maa, Naruto, I never thought I'd hear the words 'I can't' from you." 

Naruto grabbed Kakashi's elbow, his eyes manic and unblinking.

"You don't understand, Kaka-sensei. They're _crazy_. Hinata hasn't slept in _four days_. I think Boruto might be trying to kill me. And it's not like there's some jutsu I can learn! Kurama's chakra can't save us from this! Even my own shadow clones refuse to help! They keep hiding in the closet or killing themselves off!"

Naruto's voice became more and more hysterical, and he held a vice-like grip on Kakashi's arm.

Kakashi gave a nervous chuckle and tried to comfort him by awkwardly patting him on the back. Iruka shook his head and sighed. 

"OK, you two clearly need some rest." He pried Boruto off his father's head and placed him on the ground. "Don't go back to your house. Go to the nearest onsen and take a long, hot bath and then just sleep the rest of the day. Come back tomorrow morning to pick up Boruto and Himawari. We'll take care of them today." 

Hinata immediately burst out in tears, her hormones and exhaustion tipping her over the edge. Naruto looked like he was about to start crying too.

Kakashi took the baby carrier from Hinata and put his other hand on Naruto's shoulder. 

"Yeah, don't worry about the kids. They're in good hands. Just get some rest."

"Are you sure? We couldn't do that to you...we don't want to be a burden, dattebayo..." 

Naruto's flimsy protest would be more convincing if he and Hinata weren't already slowly backing away from the door. 

Iruka waved his hand. "It's fine, go, we'll be —"

CRASH! 

He and Kakashi turned to the sound of something heavy breaking in the living room. 

Iruka was starting to regret his offer, but when he turned back Naruto and Hinata were already far down the end of the street, waving goodbye.

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei! Kakashi-sensei! We owe you guys big time, ttebayo!" 

He shut the door and slowly turned back to Kakashi, who was holding a hysterically laughing Boruto by his ankle. 

They stared at each other in silence. The magical, restful day Iruka planned had fallen apart right in front of their very eyes.

It would be almost comical if it weren't for the fact that Himawari decided to wake up and start screaming bloody murder then.

Iruka unfastened her seatbelt and picked her up, massaging her back to soothe her. 

"I hope it's OK that I offered us to look after them." He looked apologetically at Kakashi. "I know it's our only day off, but they looked so miserable I couldn't not offer." 

"It's fine," Kakashi said lightly, placing Boruto up on his shoulders. "They obviously came here hoping we would. And if we don't do this today, I think Naruto might really have a breakdown and that means I'll have to be Hokage for even longer. So I consider this a preventative measure."

He looked dotingly at Himawari and tickled her fat belly, turning her crying into tinkling sounds of the cutest laugh they ever heard.

"Besides, I haven't seen the little ones in ages. It'll be nice to spend some time with them, don't you think? 

\--

They regretted everything.

"How are you dirty again?!" Kakashi cried as he chased after a screaming, naked Boruto.

They streaked across the living room, leaving a huge trail of soap and water on the floor behind them. Boruto's blonde hair, which looked just like his father's except for the ahoge that stood straight on his head, had foamy bubbles in it flying around everywhere. Kakashi's sweats that were rolled up to his knees were completely drenched. 

Boruto's hands were covered in black ink, which he had smeared all over his belly and the walls. Kakashi had a big, beige towel in his hand and he was frantic, sweating profusely, trying to grab a slippery Boruto before he made more of a mess. 

"I locked my office door earlier! How did he get into the ink supply?!"

Iruka just stared wide-eyed, frozen, watching it all go down in front of him. He was holding an upset Himawari who started crying again once she noticed that her parents weren't around. 

A shadow clone Kakashi stood in front of the hallway, his arms spread out to block the entrance from Boruto who speedily turned the other direction. But the real Kakashi was prepared this time and he trapped Boruto in the towel, furiously wrapping him like a burrito so he couldn't escape.

He flung him over his shoulder, and both the shadow clone and the real Kakashi looked at Iruka.

"Iruka, I think we made a mistake." 

Iruka stared back at them hopelessly, slowly shaking his head back and forth. 

"How did Naruto and Hinata survive for so long? I thought dealing with children was hard, but this is...madness."

Kakashi was already busy again wrestling Boruto who had somehow wormed his way out of the towel and was trying his hardest to pull Kakashi's mask off his face. His shadow clone had to grab Boruto's wrists while Kakashi grabbed his ankles, and they carried a flailing Boruto that way back into the bathroom. He locked the door, and Iruka heard it click over Himawari's screeching.

He stood there, still frozen, looking at the wet floor that he just cleaned. Then he turned to the red-faced, tear-streaked Himawari in his arms.

"So, what else do you and your brother have planned for us today?"

\--

A lot, it turned out.

The next 14 hours consisted of a lot of yelling, screaming, and crying, and that was just from Iruka. 

The house was in tatters. The scroll that Kakashi was reading earlier was on the floor ripped in half, photos in beautiful wooden frames were now completely askew on the walls, barely hanging on by a nail, and globs of chewed up food coated the dining table. 

Half of Iruka's hair was out of his ponytail, which hung limp on his head. Kakashi was in his briefs with his mask off, and he had dried spit-up stains down his shirt. It was his fifth shirt that day. The other three were either wet, ripped, or had throw up all over them. The fourth one had a hole burned through the back, similar to Naruto's shirt. 

Boruto unknowingly released some lightning chakra in his hand and then skipped over to Kakashi while he was distracted and had his back to him. He was cleaning up shards of glass on the floor from a vase Boruto broke ten seconds prior. Iruka, walking out of the bedroom after spending hours trying to put Himawari down for a nap, saw this and ran toward Boruto in a panic. 

But he was a second too late — he grabbed Boruto's wrist as Boruto grabbed the back of Kakashi's shirt, electrocuting them both. Boruto's chakra was still weak enough that it wouldn't have caused much harm if Iruka hadn't also slipped on some soapy water from the bath earlier that he missed when cleaning up. 

He fell hard and landed on the back of his head, knocking him unconscious. A worn-out Kakashi told him the next day that he thought Iruka's heart had stopped beating for a second until he came to, his eyes blinking open to the sight of a horrified Kakashi looking down at him with a devilishly snickering Boruto dangling from his arms. 

After that they both gave up and let Boruto run wild, only stopping him when he would do something that was going to hurt himself. 

But the house was finally settled again, the kids asleep in the living room. 

Himawari was back in her carrier, looking angelic with her little lavender onesie and a fresh diaper. Boruto was splayed out on top of a blanket on the floor, snoring very loudly for someone so small.

Kakashi and Iruka collapsed onto the couch beside them, Iruka on top of a weak and run-down Kakashi. Neither could move, as even their bones were tired. Kakashi couldn't find the will to lift his arms to hold Iruka, so he pressed their feet together instead.

He gave a big yawn and groaned, feeling every ache in his sore muscles. 

"I'm more tired now than I was during the entirety of the Fourth World War."

Iruka didn't even bother to lift his head from Kakashi's chest. He looked down at the sleeping kids, his own eyes heavy with fatigue.

"What would people say if they found out the Rokudaime was defeated by a couple of babies?"

Kakashi gave a half-hearted snort. 

"If anyone wanted to attack Konoha, now's the time to do it because I'm basically useless right now."

Iruka chuckled through his nose, too weary to even laugh. 

"Kakashi, let's never have kids," he mumbled, feeling himself drift off. 

Kakashi grunted in agreement, already half-asleep.

They slept the rest of the night that way, lying on the couch with their feet tucked together. 

\--

"It's been nearly a decade, and I think I still have a bump on my head from when I smacked it on the floor that day."

Iruka lifted his hand to feel the back of his scalp. 

"You do," Kakashi murmured, wrapping a strand of Iruka's hair around his pinky. "Every time I see it I remember that day and the literally shocked look on your face mid-fall."

They laughed and Kakashi gave a small tug on Iruka's hair and leaned his face up for a kiss, which Iruka happily obliged. 

Kakashi gingerly ran his finger up and down Iruka's spine while Iruka drew circles on Kakashi's chest.

After another minute Iruka spoke again, his voice soft.

"Do you still think we should never have kids?" 

Kakashi's hand stopped and he looked inquisitively at Iruka. 

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, that day we both agreed to never have kids, which I was very happy about. But you were really tired when you agreed with me, so I guess I'm wondering if you actually felt that way or if it was just your burnout talking." 

Kakashi hummed, pursing his lips as if deep in thought. 

"Never is a strong word, isn't it? I've learned over the years that one should never say never." 

He cackled as he blocked Iruka's fist from smacking his chest in annoyance. 

"Aww, come on, you know you love it when I joke." 

"Why do you always have to be funny when I'm being serious! Come on, Kakashi, I want to know your answer to that question."

Kakashi flipped them upside down so that Iruka was now under him. He had his arms on either side of Iruka's head, and he softly brushed the hair out of his face. He tucked a strand behind Iruka's ear before he spoke, his voice low and affectionate. 

"I do think never is a strong word, but I can honestly say that I have never been unhappy with our life together."

"What about when you see Boruto and Hima and Sarada and all the other kids? Do you know how many times I've seen you hug random babies when you were the Hokage? Don't you ever wish you had one of your own?"

Kakashi slowly scanned Iruka's face. 

"Is that what you wish?"

Even after more than ten years of being in a relationship, Iruka still blushed under Kakashi's piercing gaze.

"I mean, I definitely think about it from time to time! How could I not? Like today, when I saw Hima save her teammates, it was like my life had come full circle. I almost cried when I got back to my office because it made me think about how Naruto was her age when he joined the Academy. And after all that's happened, he has a daughter now who's old enough to join too."

Iruka's voice shook with emotion, thinking about everything they all went through to achieve the peace they have now. "And, I mean, I can't help but wonder sometimes what it would be like to have that experience with a kid that's my own. A kid that's our own." 

Kakashi looked quietly at Iruka and then gently pressed his lips to his forehead. 

"...You cried before you even got to your office, didn't you?" 

He didn't avoid the punch he received then, just laughed and gave Iruka a light kiss under his jaw as his way of saying sorry for teasing again before he continued.

"Well, I did hold an inordinate number of babies as Hokage. What could I do, they were everywhere at the time! And, of course, I've thought about it too. Especially knowing how good we are together. How good you are. I get to love someone who loves the village's children so much he cries over them. I would be lucky to raise a child with you."

He hesitated slightly. "But, I have to say, I love our life the way it is. It's not like I have a burning desire to continue the Hatake name, because you know I don't. I love that we have the freedom to do as we please, that we can get our fill of children as uncles, and then we can enjoy our time together, just us."

He started trailing his lips up Iruka's jawline and behind his ear, leaving goosebumps on the areas he touched. 

"And more importantly, I love that I can always make love to you whenever I want. I assume having a child would prevent that for at least 18 years."

Iruka rolled his eyes but he couldn't help but shiver as Kakashi's teeth grazed his earlobe. It was making his toes curl, and he could feel Kakashi growing underneath. But he needed to finish the conversation, to make sure everything was all out in the open before he could focus his attention on other matters, like what was happening down there.

"So you don't regret the life we chose? Your life with me?"

Kakashi froze midway from nibbling on Iruka's ear. He frowned and lifted his head to look at Iruka dead center, staying silent until Iruka was focused on him. 

"Iruka, listen to me very carefully." He spoke slowly, enunciating every word. "I have never, not once, not even for a second, regretted my life with you. You gave me happiness I never thought I could have."

He caressed Iruka's cheek, looking earnestly at him. 

"And I know that's a lot of never's, but as I said, I think it's a strong word, so I don't use it casually. Iruka, I spent over 20 years not caring whether I had a future to my name. Half that time was spent thinking about dead people and the other half on missions fighting to near-death. But when we got together, it was like I was finally seeing the world the way I was meant to. All that time I had the Sharingan, yet I was blind to so many important things."

Kakashi's voice was becoming rough, more passionate. 

"You changed all that. You gave me hope for my own future. Iruka, I could never regret my life with you, and I won't ever. I don't care if it's just us for the rest of however long we have. You're more than what I deserve, but now that I have you, I'm too selfish to ever let you go. You're mine, and that's enough for me."

Fat tears rolled down the sides of Iruka's face as he was overcome with gratitude for the man above him. He drew Kakashi close to him, petting his soft grey mane, and he didn't speak until he knew his voice wasn't going to shake. 

"Kakashi, I don't think I would even be alive right now if it wasn't for you. Not only did you save me multiple times, but you also showed me a love that I didn't think I would ever see again after my parents died. Being with you has given me the happiest times of my life. You're my family now, and you're all I'll ever need."

Iruka's eyes were ablaze, brimming with love and optimism for their future. It was the same look that made Kakashi first fall in love with him all those years ago. 

They kissed, small caresses at first that quickly became fervent and heated. Kakashi had one hand in Iruka's hair while the other gripped his hip, pulling him in close. Iruka moved his hands from Kakashi's neck to his broad shoulders, savoring the feel of his toned body over his own. But right as he was really starting to get into it, tilting his head to the side and running the tip of his tongue down the side of Kakashi's neck, Kakashi pulled away and furrowed his brows.

"Wait — I may be all you _need_ , but do you _want_ to have kids, Iruka?"

____

__

Iruka made a face. "Honestly, no. That day really did do a number on me. And I think I have the best of both worlds, anyway. I can take care of kids for my job but then not have any of the responsibilities at home. It's kind of awesome."

Kakashi sighed, relieved. "I can't believe I never thought to ask you that until now. I've just been so happy with our life that I automatically assumed you were too."

Iruka wrapped his arms around Kakashi's neck again, pulling him close, and this time he gave Kakashi a bunch of kisses all over his face, ending with a small but prominent hickey under his jaw. 

He looked back, admiring his work.

"I'm very happy, Kakashi, and I'm glad you are too. Because that means I get to do that for many more years." 

He slyly pointed at the purple-red spot blooming on Kakashi's neck. 

Kakashi grabbed Iruka's wrists and pinned his arms up to his head, his eyes narrowing playfully.

"You know, there's another part of me that wouldn't mind having some hickeys. We would still be able to hide it from people too." 

He winked at Iruka. "Like our little secret." 

Iruka's face turned tomato-red, making Kakashi burst out in laughter. He didn't need the Sharingan to memorize that face. It was already tattooed in his heart forever. 

He bent down to leave his own little gift for Iruka when he was suddenly interrupted by a lazy voice. 

"Yo, bosses, don't forget about us — we're part of your pack too."

They turned their heads to the side and saw Pakkun sitting on top of Bull's head. The other six ninken were there too, nodding their heads in assent. Their new uniforms had the image of a crashing wave in a circle with the henohenomoheji in the center. The wave was an extra addition that Kakashi insisted on once Iruka also made a pact with the ninken. He even hand-stitched the design onto their uniforms himself. 

Kakashi glared at the dogs, his teeth clenched. 

"I will if you guys interrupt me again right when it's about to get good." 

Iruka gasped in indignation. 

"Kakashi, you can't speak to them that way! They're our family too! How long have they protected and cared for you?" 

His happiness from earlier must have worn off because he was having no issues lecturing Kakashi now. Iruka turned back to the ninken, his stern voice becoming tender and loving. 

"I'm so sorry you guys, of course, we would never forget about you. You've known Kakashi for his whole life, and I'm thankful for you all every single day." 

Kakashi sighed in defeat and pressed his lips on top of Iruka's head before he turned back to his ninken. 

"Yes, I'm very thankful for you all too. You've kept me sane and safe all these years, and for that, I will always be grateful." He gave them a closed-eyed, threatening smile. "Now get out of here — I plan on doing some _very_ dirty things to Iruka all over this house that we most certainly wouldn't be able to do if we had a kid right now."

Poof! 

A cloud of smoke disappeared into the air, and the ninken were gone. 

Iruka blanched as he looked up at Kakashi who had gotten up from the couch and was rolling up his sleeves. 

"Uhm, what exactly are you planning on doing?" 

Kakashi had the same mischievous smile on his face that toddler Boruto made whenever he was about to do something terrible. But while Boruto's expression was child-like, Kakashi's was absolutely sinful. 

He leaned down, his face only an inch away from Iruka's. 

"Maa, Iruka, just because we're not trying to have kids doesn't mean we can't fuck like we are, right? Let's go have that day we didn't get to enjoy back then. Now, I'd be more than happy to start right here, but I believe your plan included the bed, so who am I to ignore the requests of the man I love?"

Iruka blushed furiously, and Kakashi looked at him in wicked glee. He picked Iruka up and threw him over his shoulder, just like he did with Boruto that day. But Boruto got a bath, and Kakashi intends to give Iruka something entirely different and much more fun.

"Hey —!" Iruka shrieked. "Kakashi, let me down!" 

He was trying to squirm out of his grip, but Kakashi made true to his word and never let him go. 

He whistled the theme song to the Icha Icha Paradise movie as he leisurely walked toward the bedroom, one arm around Iruka's butt and the other on the back of his thighs. 

He got to the room, and as he lifted his foot back to shut the door he casually said, "Oh, but I do plan on marrying you, though." 

"...Wha—!"

Click.  
\--

Kakashi went back to his mission the next day and Iruka held more trial sessions, both continuing with their life's goal to protect and lift up the children of Konoha. As Kakashi lays the base for the village, Iruka cultivates and nurtures it, both working to ensure that the village and its children, like Himawari and Boruto, all have a bright future. 

And if they happen to have hours of delicious, sweaty sex when they come back home, well — that's the life they chose.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this! There was something really comforting and warm about the idea that Kakashi and Iruka don't need kids of their own, that they're happy just as they are. They'd be the best uncles ever to Naruto's children, doting on them and spoiling them when they're babies, and then help to guide them as they grow up as shinobi. Just imagine them grow old together, just them two and the ninken. Guy would come over all the time, of course.
> 
> As for marriage...well, that's a story for another time. :) 
> 
> \--  
> I'm in the middle of my first story (Tempting Inevitability), and it has a completely different energy. A lot more explicit sexual content, and Kakashi and Iruka are not in a good place there at the moment. They have to go through a lot of emotional turmoil before they can get to the happy stuff, so I was in desperate need of some fluff wuff. Once I watched the recent Himawari episode that this story was inspired by, I couldn't get the idea out of my head. So, I just decided to write it! And if you did read my first work and you liked it, I hope you liked this one too!


End file.
